Did/Will anyone teach their child a second language?

DH and I have planned to do this since forever...since his entire family is from Spain and they still speak Spanish...

He is 'almost' fluent...but when I told him he can only speak Spanish to the baby (what they say to do)...he got a little nervous that he would be able to express himself as well as he does in English...

Does anyone know if it is ok for him to go back and forth...at least the baby will have his extended family that will speak Spanish as well?

We might try that, since we both speak russian...

But I have met some russians who were raised here, with Russian, and they're still not fluent and have a strong english accent in Russian... Not sure how to counteract that...

Lenny and I switch b/w languages, depending on which language do we think in at the moment...

It's totally Ok! Children pick up languages very easily! I am constantly around people who are bi-lingual. And all of their kids also are, even those babies who are born here still speak both English and Russian very well! As long as they have enough practice! And no, the child will not be 'confused!'

Hi, Alina!

I think it depens on the uppbringing! My cousin's wife came here at 3! She grew up on Brighton beach. Her Russian is awfull, with very heavy accent! her English is equaly awful, with very heavy accent! I guess she grew up only listening to bad English and bad Russian! Go figure! My friend came here at 4 , she speaks beautiful English and excellent Russian, because they spoke Russian at home a lot when she was growing up!

I think it's a fantastic thing to do for a child! I often 'reprimand' my Mom and my grandparents (God bless them!) for NOT teaching us Italian. Unfortunately, my family used Italian to communicate when they didn't want the kids to know what they were discussing. This is the most horrible abuse of language!

If I was fluent in another language beside English, there would be NO QUESTION that I would teach Paul. My cousin's son has a babysitter who is fluent in Italian, and he speaks Italian just as well as English at age 2.

I will teach my child to speak French. I loved knowing 2 languages growing up. DH doesn't speak a lick of french, so this may be a challenge

Claud...does the babysitter speak any English or just Italian? this is what John is worried about...his first language is Spanish...he speaks neither Spanish or English with an accent...but he is worried...I know only a little Spanish...so I don't know if I can keep it up...


my family did the opposite thing as yours...we all learned German and then spoke it when we didn't want other people to know what we were saying (like in a store, car dealer, or something)


I don't know if I should introduce German...I just feel like the language is dying and not sure what place it will hold in the world...now that most of my German family speak English primarily...

Well, we've been bouncing around the idea of him taking a class.
I even have French learning tapes for him at home, but he has yet to use them

But he suprised me and proposed in French, which really impressed me, so hopefully that means good things to come. I would love for him to be involved, so I'm sure your DH would really appreciate it and love you for it if you put forth that effort

Anya,
I don't know how these people were schooled, b/c I knew them only as acquaintances in their adulthood (and wasn't going to ask why their russian s.ucks)...

I still get embarrassed when asked where I am from, b/c after 11 years, I shouldn't be speaking english with a russian accent.

Alina,

I think accent depends on someone's personal ability with languages, not how long they lived in the country! besides, accent or the lack of it doesn't neccesserely mean that a person mastered the language! My DH has somewhat if an accent, and he always tells me: 'Oh, your English is So much better then mine! I say:'That's bull****! You know how to spell every word in the English language! And I am lucky if I can spell my own name!' So, Who's English is better?

Another story is when someone came here at the age of 3 and couldn't master either language! Now, thats' a little disturbing!

Alina - my in-laws have been here for 40 years and they still speak with accents (german & italian)! And my MIL is VERY hesitant to write in english.

I'd like to teach our children Italian. Al is pretty fluent, I know next to nothing but would like to learn.

My SIL taught italian to her kids - both her and my MIL primarily speak to them in Italian (which would help with my kids), but everyone else speaks english to them (including their father who knows no italian) and they're not confused. They now understand Italian, but rarely will speak it yet.

I had a little girl in my class last year who was raised bilingual (english and Spanish), and is now learning French.

Only her mother speaks Spanish, and didn't speak exclusively to her in Spanish, so it definitely seems to be okay to go back and forth.

This little girl has a BEAUTIFUL Spanish accent, by the way!

This is some info about raising a bilinguil child. At the bottom is a link to comments made by parents explaining how they are raising there children with multiple languages, and how it's positivley effecting the child.

Question: My child's babysitter speaks only Spanish. Could this slow down my toddler's language development?

Answer: No, it shouldn't. In fact, it has been shown that exposing young children to more than one language actually helps their language skills in the long run. By the time your child reaches his later elementary school years, you may see above-average vocabulary, sentence structure, and comprehension skills. He also may have an easier time picking up new languages.

However, there are some things to consider. It is important that your child keep the two languages separate — if your caregiver is speaking Spanish to your child, it should be consistently Spanish and not a mix of the two languages. Also, make sure your child has lots of opportunities to play with other children who are speaking English, if that is your primary language.

Sometimes children who are exposed to two languages in equal amounts have a slightly lower test score in both languages because they have had less practice in both, but this should improve in later years. In the long run, your child should benefit from this bilingual opportunity.

There are instances where exposure to two languages may harm development. If your child has any documented speech-language disorders or delays, such as autism, hearing impairment, Down Syndrome, dyspraxia, etc., he should focus on learning one language only — learning two languages would be too confusing

How to Raise a Child with a 2nd language

I am fluent in Spanish and FH is fluent in Greek. We're going to try to teach our kids both languages. Now, I just need to learn how to speak Greek, so I know what's going on Fh is not fluent in Spanish, but he understands most of it.

Even though I dont speak my second language (Greek) very fluently - even though I went to school for it - I do want to teach my children how to speak Greek. Thankfull, FH speaks well!

ABSOLUTELY, I speak Italian to John Anthony as much as possible. Saying you will speak 'only' this language to your child is MUCH easier said than done girls, you'll see!
My nieces know both ITalian and English very well. and its cute, They know when they are speaking to me or my mom, they can and will speak in Italian, and if theyre speaking to John, lets say, they will say it in English... once in a while they speak to him in Italian and he's like
I remember several years ago, my niece might have been 3, and we were asking her what to translate certain words and she did pretty well!

My brother went to Kindergarten not knowing one word of English, and he's perfectly fine now!

From being fluent in Italian, I easily picked up SPanish in school, so I'd say Im fluent in Spanish. and several other languages Ive heard and been around, I know many words and can understand a decent amount:Greek, Armenian).

I would love to know more languages, I have always been fascinated by languages.. I do hope JA picks up ITalian as easily and it 'sticks'. Being first generation, it was easy for my siblnigs and myself because we had no choice , but as the generations continue, it might be harder and harder... I hope not. My siblings and I are VERY gungho about the ITalian language, culture, proverbs, songs, foods, etc etc etc. and having been there so much brings so much more 'to the table' when we are teaching our children....

Sorry I babbled !

i WISH!

I had promised myself to learn beginning Italian before I had a baby....but the baby came a little sooner than expected!!

Maybe I can fit a class in before January and we can be beginners together!